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Ex-mayor praises guaranteed basic income, says you are ‘out of touch’ and ‘unenlightened’ if you disagree

June 10, 2024 | | Print Article

A former Democratic California mayor called out “unenlightened” elected officials who do not support a guaranteed basic income program for their constituents.

Former Stockton, California Mayor Michael D. Tubbs criticized critics of the program as “out of touch” during a discussion of the plan to give low-income participants up to $1,000 a month.

“I think the issue is just one of politics and sort of unenlightened elected officials who were just out of touch with their constituents because just they’re just making six figures off the public—off of taxpayer money for a long time,” Tubbs, president of the Mayors for Guaranteed Income organization, told Fox News Digital.

“American voters support a guaranteed income, including 40% of Republicans,” he claimed, noting how members of both political parties are facing financial struggles.

“Both Democrats and Republicans can’t afford rent. Both Democrats and Republicans are spending too much money on childcare,” Tubbs said.

About 150 mayors make up the Mayors for Guaranteed Income group and they are advocating for the pilot program which has been adopted by some towns across the country such as Austin, Texas where the influx of funds “helped address the problem of housing insecurity in the city,” according to Fox News.

“An effort was underway at the county level in Texas, but it was halted by the Supreme Court of Texas in April,” the outlet noted. “The Supreme Court of Texas issued a ruling in April that prohibits Harris County from launching a guaranteed income program. The program was disputed by Attorney General Ken Paxton and state lawmaker Rep. Paul Betten county over constitutional concerns.”

“I became increasingly concerned about the lack of economic opportunity for all,” Tubbs told Fox News Digital, explaining the motivation behind his launch of the organization.

“I was aware of the fact that one out of every two Americans can afford a $1,000 emergency and at the root of a lot of the issues we are fighting in Stockton, was actually poverty and economic insecurity,” he added.

While he admitted Stockton’s small size and limited budget meant implementing a GBI program was not practical, Tubbs believes the data generated from testing it could prove valuable in convincing federal and state governments to move ahead with the idea.

“No city can do a guaranteed income at scale because we can’t deficit spend. A guaranteed income at scale has to be done by the federal government, much like we saw with the child tax credit,” Tubbs said.

“And that’s been an argument we’ve been making the whole time, but, we can’t wait for the federal government. And oftentimes we have to inspire and push the federal government to act,” he concluded.

The former mayor noted that a Counties for Guaranteed Income program is also underway and can push the idea at county levels within states.

Frieda Powers
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